Posted on 06/28/2008 7:01:21 AM PDT by SE Mom
The Washington Post has published an unintentionally amusing article this morning about one Danielle Allen, a "razor-sharp, 36-year-old political theorist" at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Studies. Allen, with doctorates from Cambridge and Harvard, won a $500,000 MacArthur Foundation genius grant a few years ago and now conducts studies at the Institute, where, according to the Post, "she works alongside groundbreaking physicists, mathematicians and social scientists. They don't have to teach, and they face no quotas on what they publish. Their only mandate is to work in the tradition of Einstein, wrestling with the most vexing problems in the universe."
And one of the most vexing problems in the universe, which Allen has decided to pursue in the tradition of Einstein, is the origin of a number of e-mails claiming that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Using the advanced research tools at her disposal, the razor-sharp Allen found…a couple of posters on the Free Republic website, plus a former political rival of Obama's who sends out zillions of e-mails to reporters every day.
The former political rival appears to have been completely open about the stuff he sent out, some of which was based on arguments similar to an op-ed that appeared in the pages of the New York Times. As for Free Republic, according to the Post, Allen "counted 23 freepers among those engaging in regular discussions about Obama's religion, and isolated a handful whom she began to suspect as having a role in the e-mail. Sifting through hundreds of postings, she began to piece together their identities."
Allen gave her information to the Post reporter, who used it to track down two allegedly offending freepers, one a 69-year-old retired grandfather in the suburbs of Boston and the other a 60-year-old schoolteacher in rural Washington state. Both said they had nothing to do with the emails. And that's about it.
But the article has a pretty clear subtext, and it is that the exchange of such information on the Internet should be controlled. "I started thinking, 'How does one stop it?'" Allen told the Post. "Citizens and political scientists must face the fact that the Internet has enabled a new form of political organization that is just as influential on local and national elections as unions and political action committees…This kind of misinformation campaign short-circuits judgment. It also aggressively disregards the fundamental principle of free societies that one be able to debate one's accusers."
Of course, we have laws that regulate the political activities of unions and political action committees. Is it going too far to guess that the scholar from the Institute for Advanced Studies might be searching for some way to do the same for Free Republic?
06/28 08:45 AM
Here’s the link to the Washington Post piece referenced by Byron York:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/27/AR2008062703781.html
I’m not sure I believe it — how sound is their methodolgy?
Ping
Big question. How would anyone get the identity of F.R. members? I smell B.S.
It doesn’t matter- York’s last sentence is the POINT here:
~snip~
Of course, we have laws that regulate the political activities of unions and political action committees. Is it going too far to guess that the scholar from the Institute for Advanced Studies might be searching for some way to do the same for Free Republic?
~snip~
By the way - Barak Hussein Obama is indeed a muzzie.
God help the poor pukes who signed up to work for these guys. Once they are found out no reputable peer reviewed journal is going to publish any of their stuff.
God help the poor pukes who signed up to work for these guys. Once they are found out no reputable peer reviewed journal is going to publish any of their stuff.
however democrat underground and the huffington post and other similar sites are within the agreeable framework of the MSM and acceptable. we are indeed under attack by this leftist
Heads up! The "free" press is tracking down FReepers.
BTW, so are you (according to fundamental Moslem theory of how these things work). Bet ya’ make yer’ momma proud, eh?!
Just saw my momma yesterday and she did say she was proud of me! Wished me a happy 63rd b/day too.
By the way, my 87 year old Roosevelt democrat mother will be voting for McCain in November. I’m so proud of her.
B. Hussein O. didn't attend a Christian missionary school there that I'veheard of (and surely there was at least one there for him to attend).
Which reputable, peer-reviewed journals would those be?
From what I can tell, as a reader, slanted, biased, pro-progressive and anti-traditionalism qualifies one to have their work published. This particular researcher received a half-million dollar genius grant, after all.
Current climate research is a case in point.
Oh, and can those two people accused of proliferating anti-Obama emails sue for invasion of privacy, wrongful accusations, potential libel and, above all, restraints on their First Amendment rights?
So she spent all of that time and effort to find out who was saying that Obama was a muslim! I wonder who she’s voting for. LOL.
free speech could be offensive, sarcastic, obsene, but it however should and must remain free.
we better start preparing for the revolution to take place in this country, between those that want to preserve our constitutional rights against the others that do not see those rights as ours, the Supreme Court is siding more than once with leftist ideology.
Understood- but let’s remember Nancy Pelosi and her gang are intent on inmposing the Fairness Doctrine.
To me- it’s not even about whether or not they were able to track down a couple of freepers. It’s the idea that’s being floated out there in ways large and small that it’s time to DO SOMETHING about our liberty and freedom. Whether it’s Don Imus being a jerk or Daily Kos being, well...Daily Kos..the right to think and express is being carefully scrutinized.
It gives me chills.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.